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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. file — a line of people
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. chip — to eat
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. clip — a video
  9. file — a document
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. chip — for betting
  13. file — a tool
  14. sharp — clever
  15. clip — for paper
  16. mate — to breed
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. clip — to cut
  22. mine — for digging
  23. foot — a measure
  24. mate — a friend

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com